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MONTREAL -- Not so fast on the speculation the Argos are on the verge of signing running back Kenton Keith.

Argos general manager Adam Rita said yesterday the CFL club has "moved on" and doesn't think it will be signing Keith.

"We're not in the sweepstakes," Rita said, munching on a hot dog at Molson Stadium an hour before the Argos took on the Montreal Alouettes. "We have done our due diligence and have moved on." That's a sharp turn from a report on Sportsnet on Saturday night that alleged the Argos had a multi-year offer on the table for Keith -- cut loose last week by the Indianapolis Colts -- for $160,000 a year with bonuses that could reach $40,000.

But Rita refused to confirm as much, and said the money Keith is seeking was too rich for the Argos.

"We thought the price was out of our league," Rita said. "There are probably some other issues that we don't negotiate through the press. Whatever happened, happened. We kind of have moved on at this point."

The ears of the eight CFL teams perked up when Keith, who was stellar in five seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, became available. Keith could return to Saskatchewan, despite the strong performance of running back Wes Cates.

However, when Rita was asked whether the Argos had closed the door on Keith, he did not say they had.

'NEVER SAY NEVER'

"We never say never," Rita said. "We'll see. A lot of stuff in the press has been speculation. And we don't speculate with anybody. At this point, we are not going to get a deal done, not at those numbers anyway."

The Argos' running game has been ineffective in 2008. Jamal Robertson has a team-high 54 carries, but with 186 yards, is well behind Dominique Dorsey, who has rushed 48 times for 289 yards. Quarterback Kerry Joseph leads the tream with 356 yards.

Toronto indeed could make an addition to its stable of backs, but it could come in the form of Clifton Dawson, who was drafted by the Boatmen in 2006. Dawson, a Scarborough native who played college football at Harvard, also recently was cut by the Colts.